1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to medical devices and particularly relates to medical attachment devices for transporting patients within hospitals while maintaining treatment of the patient. It especially relates to devices for interconnecting a wheeled patient transport vehicle and an auxiliary treatment apparatus, such as a wheeled support stand, while both are being moved by a single attendant.
2. Review of the Prior Art
Because of the dynamic nature of the hospital environment, patients are frequently being moved from one place to another, such as from the patient's room to radiology and then to a diagnosis area. In particular, a patient must often be transported along with an auxiliary apparatus that is needed by the patient. A typical wheeled auxiliary apparatus is a patient care apparatus, such as a wheeled I.V. support stand having an upstanding pole attached to crossed legs resting on castors and supporting an intravenous liquid feeding source and a volumetric pump which comprises a self-contained metering device for accurately metering the rate of flow of fluid from the liquid source to the patient. These metering devices are quite expensive and subject to damage if they are dropped or if the pole is tipped over. Such a wheeled support stand is hereinafter termed a "poly", regardless of its cargo.
Two attendants are usually required to move a patient and his poly when on intravenous feeding, for example. One of the attendants pushes the patient's wheelchair, wheeled bed, movable cart, or gurney, and the other attendant steadies the poly alongside the patient. This procedure is obviously a waste of valuable personnel.
In an emergency situation when only one person is responsible for both a patient transport vehicle and a poly, the manipulation problem can become acute. Quite often the single attendant has to push the patient transport vehicle as well as the poly while navigating uneven floors and inclines, pushing elevator buttons, opening doors, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,372 of Alexander is directed to an apparatus for supporting intravenous supply bottles that comprises an upright standard and a cross bar extending substantially horizontally across the top of the standard. The bottle is hung on the cross bar, and the upright standard is fastened to the stretcher by a mounting clamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,206 of Bryer is directed to an apparatus for carrying oxygen bottles and intravenous containers on the back of a wheelchair.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,157 of Wilt, Jr. discusses a device for interconnecting a wheelchair and a portable IV stand. The apparatus comprises an elongate rectangular member which is hollow; it is horizontally disposed and clamped to vertically disposed frame members of the wheelchair along one side thereof. An elongate rectangular rod is inserted into this member and into an interconnecting clamping device which is also attached to the vertical pole of the IV stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,158 of Varga et al is directed to a device for attaching a wheeled transport pole to a wheeled patient transport vehicle. The device comprises a bracket that is attached to the patient transport vehicle and a traction clamp which is attached to the transport pole. The bracket and the clamp are connected by a horizontally disposed rod member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,536 of Doughty discusses a coupling that rigidly connects an intravenous feeding bottle support to a wheelchair or to a wheeled bed or stretcher. This coupling is L-shaped and comprises a detachable clamp at one end for engaging the vertical pole of the intravenous feeding bottle support and a telescoping extension comprising a tubular member or rod which slidably fits into the open end of a tube which is attached to the wheelchair for axial movement into and out of the tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,131 of Springer et al is directed to a hospital utility pole clamp that is plate-shaped, with multiple holes near one end for selectively mounting the plate onto the frame of the wheelchair, and a frictional mechanical connection at the other end for engaging the pole of the wheeled utility device, thereby attaching an IV, hung from the wheeled utility apparatus, to the wheelchair. The frictional connection is provided by a variable cam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,391 of Schneider provides a device having an elongated and preferably telescopingly adjustable member having at one end thereof a latch engaging the vertically extending pole or standard of a free-wheeling IV mechanism, and a mechanism on the opposite end thereof for attaching the IV mechanism to a wheeled patient vehicle, preferably a wheelchair. The means for latchingly engaging the vertically extending pole or standard comprises a symmetrical pair of hingedly joined hemicylindrical pieces which are adapted to encircle the pole or standard.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,592 of Sims et al is directed to a coupling device for a patient transport vehicle, such as a gurney, hospital bed, or wheelchair, and a patient care apparatus, such as an intravenous assembly or a diagnostic or therapeutic apparatus. This coupling device comprises a vertically adjustable first horizontal flange secured to the patent transport device, an elongate vertical member supporting the patient care device, and a second horizontal flange disposed on an upper portion of the vertical member of the patient care apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,442 of Schneider describes an elongated and telescopingly adjustable member, having at one end thereof a symmetrical pair of hingedly joined hemicylindrical pieces for latchingly engaging the vertically extending pole or standard of a free-wheeling IV mechanism, and clamps in the vicinity of the opposite end thereof for attaching the IV mechanism to a wheelchair.
All of these inventions address the manipulation problem created when both a wheeled patient transport vehicle and a wheeled auxiliary apparatus must be moved synchronously by a single attendant. Nevertheless, a compact device is needed that can provide rigid attachment between a patient transport vehicle and an auxiliary apparatus during synchronous movement thereof while being simple to use, quickly attachable, and quickly removable so that the difficult and arduous task for a single attendant of transporting a patient with a poly can be expedited and simplified.